The Microsoft Band is dead

In a statement earlier this month, Microsoft insisted that it remains “deeply committed to supporting our customers and exploring the wearables space.” (HoloLens is technically a wearable, after all.) At the time, Microsoft also noted that the Band 2 was still actively being sold — but that’s no longer the case as of today. The Band’s software development kit, which allowed apps to be created for the device, has also been removed. Also in September, the company renamed its smartphone health app to Microsoft Band; that software remains available for existing users.

The Band is a wearable I’ve seen for sale at Best Buy alongside the Pebbles, Gears, Jawbone UP bands, Fitbits, misfits and various other wearable arm bands, but you never stopped to look at one. In fact, the local Best Buy never even had anyone asked to try on the band they provided to make sure you were getting the right size Band the whole time they had it, and Microsoft never did much to promote it.

The Band was a hobby product inside Microsoft and that was it. Not that different than Google Glass, but I’m sure if the interest had been there they would have kept it alive a little longer.

Roger Stringer spends most of his time solving problems for people, and otherwise occupying himself with being a dad, cooking, speaking, learning, writing, reading, and the overall pursuit of life. He lives in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada